i'm jim cramer and i will see you tomorrow! this morning on "early today," damage control. mitt romney tries to limit the fallout from critical components about the president's supporters. highway hazard. scary moments when a dallas pit stop turns into a treacherous hit and run. court order. a french tabloid is giv 24 hours to hand over topless photos of kate middleton. captions paid for by nbc-universal hello. welcome to our viewers across the nation including the pacific time zone. i'm lynn berry. >> and today we begin with the romney recording, a surreptitious video of mitt romney at a private fund raiser has gone public. in remarks he thought would stay

among those in the room, the gop presidential candidate is heard giving a snapshot of the electorate that is raising some eyebrows. the recording was released to the ultra liberal magazine "mother jones." here's a portion of it. >> for the past three years, all everybody's been told is, don't worry, we'll take care it. how are you going to do that with two months before the election to convince everybody you've got to take care of yourself? >> there are 47% of the people who will vote for the president no matter what, all right? there are 47% who are with him who are dependent upon government who believe that they are victims who believe that government has a responsibility to care for them, who believe that they're entitled to health care, to food, to housing, to you name it. that's an entitlement and the government should give it to them, and they will vote for this president no matter what. i mean, the president starts off with 48, 49, 48, he starts off with a huge number. these are people who pay no income tax. 47% of americans pay no income tax, so our message of low taxes

doesn't connect. he'll be out there talking about tax cuts for the rich. i mean, that's what they sell every four years. and so my job is not to worry about those people. i'll never convince them they should take personal responsibility and care for their lives. what i have to do is convince the 5 to 10% in the center that are independent, that are thoughtful and look at voting one way or another depending upon in some cases emotion, whether they like the guy or not. >> late last night mr. romney reacted to the release of the recording but he did not apologize for the remarks. >> it's not elegantly stated, let me put it that way. i'm speaking off the cuff in response to a question, and i'm sure i could state it more clearly and in a more effective way than i did in a setting like that. >> the romney campaign also released this statement saying, mitt romney wants to help

all americans struggling in the obama economy. as the governor has made clear all year, he is concerned about the growing number of people who are dependent on the federal government, including the record number of people who are on food stamps, nearly one in six americans in poverty, and the 23 million americans who are struggling to find work. mitt romney's plan creates 12 million new jobs in four years, grows the economy and moves americans off the government dependency and into jobs. meanwhile, the obama campaign issued its own statement saying it's, quote, hard to serve as president for all americans when you've disdainfully written off half the nation. well, elsewhere outrage against the u.s. has stretched into a second week in the muslim world as the powerful leader of the militant group hezbollah calls for protests against that anti-islam film to continue. nbc's tracie potts has details from washington. tracie, good morning. >> lynn, good morning. and now it's turned deadly in afghanistan.

a suicide bombing frnear the airport in kabul. an islamic militant group says they sent a 22-year-old woman in a car packed with exclusives. it was a video that they say touched off that incident. meantime there have been at least ten protesters. in these protests we've seen around the region who have been killed as a result of these riots. the u.s. increasing security at a number of diplomatic sites in several different countries. hezbollah's leader is encouraging hundreds of thousands of people to continue protesting. meantime, the investigation into the death of ambassador chris stevens and three other americans in benghazi, according to witnesses now, libyans tried to rescue him but were frustrated when there was no ambulance, no first aid. the u.s. and libyans cooperating in that investigation. >> tracie potts in washington,

thank you. well, now here's a look at some other stories making news early today in america. in dallas, just frightening video, and it shows the moment when two women were struck by a hit-and-run driver and they drove down an embankment to escape. the victims had pulled over on a highway off ramp because of a flat tire. police were responding to that call when the hit and run happened right in front of them. the other driver remains on the loose. in georgia, an even more bizarre hit and run. someone plowed right into a house in the middle of the night while two people were inside. they didn't even know it happened until the next morning when they woke up and they found a good chunk of their house completely gone. in oregon, rescuers did a perfect job of saving a kitten trapped beneath a basement in a drain pipe. it took firefighters and a plumber about six hours to free the cat. and finally, in our nation's capitol, the story everyone has been talking about.

it now has a new twist. nay song, the female giant panda, has given birth to a cub but no one has actually seen it yet. so the national zoo is asking you to keep an eye on its webcam. if you can catch is a glimpse of the baby camera, the zoo wants you to get a screen grab and tweet it over to them. they say it should be about the size of a stick of butter. now for a look at your national weather, here is dylan drier. >> the mamma bear needs to move and we'll find it. the size of a butter stick. that's insane. we're looking at gorgeous weather all across the west coast. there's really not a whole lot going on with high pressure in control, all the activity is through the center of the country and areas across the east coast. so out west you are enjoying sunshine basically from seattle right down into southern

california and also into phoenix where it is going to be hot, but seasonably so for this time of year. it is going to be above average in seattle with temperatures up around 80 degrees today. down through san francisco, foggy this morning. the biggest concern will be interior portions of washington state and also oregon where smoke from area wildfires will get trapped and actually make it a little hazy out there. you'll smell the smoke in the air. temps a little cool except for las vegas at about 76 degrees. topping out about 100 degrees this afternoon. looking for the warm temps to continue in oregon and to the fall season as we go into next week. that's the latest check on your

forecast. can't believe fall is starting. >> i know. september is almost over? dylan, thank you. coming up, manufacturing slips, apple shines and raising the stakes on a rare indulgence. your early morning business headlines are straight ahead. never one to mince words, donald trump weighs in on kate middleton's topless photo scandal. an olympic gold medalist is arrested and peyton manning like you've never seen him before. you're watching "early today."

good morning and welcome back to "early today." i'm lynn berry, and here are some of your top headlines this morning. in afghanistan, the nato coalition has ended joint military operations with afghan forces. so far this year 51 international troops have been killed in what are called insider attacks by afghan soldiers or insurgents wearing their uniforms.

a court hearing is scheduled tomorrow for mayor rahm emanuel's attempt to end the chicago teacher's strike. today the teachers plan to decide whether to end the strike based on a tentative contract offer. in new york, more than 180 people were arrested during occupy wall street protests celebrating the movement's first anniversary. the demonstrators were trying to block streets in the financial district near the stock exchange. the "los angeles times" reports the boy scouts of america hid information about sex abuse cases for decades. the newspaper says the abuse was documented in secret files and that 80% of the cases were not reported to law enforcement. and space shuttle "endeavour" is still in florida and its trip to los angeles has been delayed yet again. stormy weather along the gulf of mexico means the shuttle won't depart until tomorrow heading for its permanent home at the california science center. and now here's an early look at how wall street's going to kick off the day.

the dow closed at 13,553 after losing 40 points yesterday. the s&p was down 4 and the nasdaq fell 5. taking a look at overseas trading this morning. in tokyo, the nikkei dipped 35 points while in hong kong the hang seng lost 56. wall street gave up ground for the fifth monday in a row thanks to fresh signs of an economic slowdown. news that northeast manufacturing hit a 3 1/2 year low set off investors' jitters monday. this just days after friday's news that august industrial production fell the most in more than three years. after the bell apple shares cruised past $700 for the first time after announcing orders for the iphone 5 topped 2 million in the first 24 hours, more than double the amount of its predecessor. office depot was one of the day's biggest movers rising 5% after an activist investment firm became the retailer's largest shareholder.

elsewhere, federal regulators are looking into what caused oil prices to plunge more than $4 in a matter of minutes monday afternoon. just hours before a midnight strike deadline the canadian autoworkers union reached a tentative four-year deal with ford. the union also extended contract negotiations with general motors and chrysler. according to the department of transportation, the percentage of on-time airline arrivals hit an 18 year high during the first half of the year. and let the knife sharpening begin. now that kobe beef is back on the market, one manhattan meat mecca is offering a 12 ounce kobe steak for a whopping 350 bucks. well, coming up, the o's set the tone early and even the world's best snowboarder isn't above the law. plus, denver quarterback peyton manning has a rough first quarter. your early morning sports headlines are straight ahead.

and heavy rain is moving into the east coast. damaging winds are also possible. your forecast is coming up. you're watching "early today."

good morning. if you're just waking up, this is "early today." and in sports, the atlanta falcons feasted on the broncos

last night capitalizing on a sloppy first quarter performance by denver's peyton manning. here's nbc's fred roggin with an early look at all your sports headlines. good morning, and what a difference a week makes. peyton manning played like an mvp last weekend, and yesterday it looked liked he needed some work. let's go to atlanta. a terrible start for peyton. third play from scrimmage. manning is picked by william moore and that led to an atlanta touchdown. the next drive, peyton threw it up and the falcons came down with it again. another interception. we're still in the first quarter. you don't think it can get any worse? well, think again. third drive for denver, third interception for manning. the broncos dug themselves a giant hole and never recovered. then there's matt ryan. he was nearly perfect. two touchdowns, no picks. denver rallied late but ran out of time and the falcons won it 27-20. he is an olympic gold medalist, an x games champ, and apparently, quite frankly, a party animal. shaun white was arrested in nashville after trashing a hotel room and pulling a fire alarm

following a drunken rage. he also got this black eye from an altercation while trying to flee the scene. arguably the best snowboarder and skater in the world, white was charged with public intoxication and vandalism. baseball, that sox fan has been waiting a long time to see this game. we'll pick it up in the fifth. detroit up one. the sacks full. a grounder to short. perfect double play ball or so it seemed. omar infante air mailed the toss to first. in came two and chicago grabbed the lead. white sox increase their lead in the central in three games with a 5-4 win. in the a.l. east the orioles inched closer to the idol yankees. nate mcclothe hit a lead-off homer and the route was on. baltimore scored three in the first, four in the second. they're just a half game back after a big win in seattle. the orioles are duking it out with the yankees and the rays may be down for the count. alex cobb had a no-hitter going until this. jacoby ellsbury left the yard in a hurry. red sox win it 5-2. tampa is falling fast. they're 5 1/2 back. that's your early look at sports on "early today."

i'm fred roggin. well, lady gaga takes floral arranging to a whole new level. your early morning entertainment headlines are straight ahead. plus, meet a high school football phenom who's running right into the record books. you're watching "early today."

another gorgeous day all across the west coast. sunshine from seattle to los angeles. las vegas will be a little hot today, 100 degrees. but that's typical for this time of year. smoke an issue for inland areas in oregon and washington state from area wildfires. tomorrow, more of the same. lots of sunshine, temperatures still running in the 70s and 80s. if you're watching us on kntv, nbc bay area news in california. in nearby walnut creek see how artists have combined arts and wildlife at captured specimens and contemporary art at the bedford gallery. that is your pacific event of the day. and now here's an early look at this morning's headlines in entertainment. this past hour a french court ordered a photographer to hand overall topless photos taken of the duchess while sun bathing on

vacation t. french tabloid published 14 photos on friday. the naked pics have made it in publications. meanwhile, donald trump is getting into the story. he says that kate middleton has, quote, only herself to blame for the scandal. the donald tweeted, she's great but she shouldn't be sunbathing in the nude. well, nbc has announced r&b star usher and colombian singer shakira will be replacing christina aguilera and cee lo green on "the voice" next year to free them for other projects. and, finally, lady gaga stole the show at london's fashion week. look at that, she was wearing a giant floral headpiece that only showed a small portion of her face. hopefully had some kind of air conditioning ventilation. >> or hopefully good-smelling flowers. >> no carnations i hope. this comes from kgw news

channel 8 in portland, oregon, where in nearby lowell larks meet a future nfl sensation who is barely old enough to vote. thomas scored ten touchdowns in a single game friday. five of them were in the first half alone. he also ran a whopping 643 yards easily shattering a state high school record. his team won 84-63. on top of that, it happened on thomas's 18th birthday. good day all in all. i'm lynn berry. this is "early today," your first stop of the day today on your nbc station.

well, one russian zoo can now call itself home to a new breed of feline. kiara is the first known liliger, a cross between an african lion and a liger. to make things even more interesting, kiara is being taken care of by an everyday house cat since her mother wasn't able to provide enough milk. zoo keepers say she's strong willed and more tiger than lion. in england, the finish line for one race is about 80 feet in the air. more than 50 challengers competed in the world pole climbing championships. for the last 20 years climbers using spiked shoes have been racing up trees as fast as they can. this year's winner made it to the top in just over ten seconds. the eldest competitor was 79 years old. that's impressive.

and finally, a bizarre tradition in spain allows you to be a guest at your own funeral. the annual event has people leading their own funeral processions and even carrying their own coffin. the near out-of-body experience celebrates the lucky few who have narrowly escaped death. it's considered an honor to be chosen and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. i don't know if i'd want to experience that more than once. >> i don't think so. and you'd think they'd be happier if they had, you know, near death experiences. they still look pretty somber. >> yeah, they're going into the mood. very method acting. well, time now for an early look at some of the stories we'll follow throughout the day on nbc. myanmar democracy leader aung sun suu kyi will meet with secretary of state hillary clinton as she kicks off a whirlwind 17-day u.s. tour. during her visit the nobel peace laureate will be presented with congress's highest honor, the congressional gold medal. the 67th session of the united nation's general assembly opens this afternoon.

the general assembly is the only group in which all 193 member nations have an equal vote. next week the annual general debate of global heads of state opens. and happy birthday to funny man jason sudeikis. the snl star turns 37 today. all day long you can stay on top of the very latest developments in those stories and others as they break on msnbc. and tonight be sure to watch brian williams with "nbc nightly news." and, finally, here's a look at what's coming up later today on the "today" show. ryan seacrest is live in studio to discuss the new "american idol" judges, mariah carey and nicki minaj. and pop star pink performs live on the plaza. and now keep it on this channel for continuing local news, weather, sports, and more. i'm lynn berry. thanks for watching "early today," just your first stop of the day, today on your nbc station. have a good one. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com